The New Lab Assistant
by The Dark Knight's Revenge
Summary: There's a new girl in the lab, what happens when she knows more than she lets on? will she soon become the object of a new serial killer's rage? Will the men of the lab fall for her?
1. Hodgins and Horse Manure

"Where's our new lab assistant supposed to be?"

Hodgins' call from across the Jeffersonian Lab attracted the entire team's attention.

"That could mean either you're lonely and want some company over there, or you found something really gross and want someone to do it for you" Cam said, looking up from a bone.

Hodgins laughed slightly from his desk. "Would it shock you if it was both?"

"No" the team replied, and turned back to their work.

Hodgins had been exiled to the lower tier of the lab because he he had been working with maggots in horse manure, trying to figure out if there was any flesh in there from the team's new victim.

"I'm all alone, there's no one here beside me" Hodgins sang from his desk.

"Yeah, whatever. When you go take a shower, you can come back" Angela said, doodling on her sketchpad.

Hodgins made a puppy face.

"No, I'm resisting" Angela said, fully aware of what her boyfriend was doing.

"Back to my original question, where is our lab assistant?"

Cam sighed. "She's at security"

Hodgins sighed, then stood up suddenly and banged on the table, making everyone jump.

"Do you have to do that every three minutes?" Angela asked.

"I found something" Hodgins said, walking over to the entrance to the center lab.

"Okay" Cam said when he didn't tell her.

Hodgins just stared.

"Spill" Cam said.

Hodgins just stared, then a small smile pricked the corners of his mouth.

"You're not going to tell unless I let you back up here"

Hodgins nodded, an innocent smile on his face.

"All right"

Hodgins swiped his ID faster than Cam could comprehend, then shoved a picture under her nose.

"Ugh, your hands smell awful" She said, gagging and turning away.

"It's just a little manure, calm down"

Angela rolled her eyes.

"I found something really weird" Hodgins continued, following Cam as she walked away.

"Go take a shower, then tell me"

Hodgins sighed, then started to traipse off to the locker rooms.

"The maggots aren't from the body we found!" he called, then ran off.

Cam's head jerked up.

"Well, that's maddeningly unhelpful"

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	2. Rachel

When Hodgins came back from the shower, he found a whole lot of weird stuff.

First, there was another person, and that person was a girl.

Second, Zack was gone.

Third...Well, there wasn't a third, Hodgins was just focused on the new girl.

"You didn't say that our new assistant was a girl" He said, swiping his ID.

"I distinctly remember saying that SHE was at security" Cam said, not even looking up.

"Whatev" Hodgins said, looking over Angela's shoulder.

"Go away" Angela said, swiping at him playfully.

Hodgins turned to the new girl, and studied her.

She was about 5.5, with long brown hair tied into a ponytail. Her eyes, fixed on him, were light blue, but in another light, they could be green.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Hodgins" He said, holing out his hand.

"Rachel" She replied quietly.

Hodgins took a seat in one of the many chairs and started revolving aimlessly.

"Hey bug guy, what's the deal with those maggots?" Cam said.

"They are just maggots, not a speck of flesh in them"

"Maddeningly unhelpful"

"I know"

Then Zack came in, carrying a tray of implements.

At first he walked right past Rachel, setting down his tray on the counter.

Then, he turned around, meaning to go back to his geek lair, but he caught sight of Rachel, and froze.

"Nice to meet you" Rachel said, holding out her hand.

Zack blinked several times, processing the request, then held out his hand mechanically.

"Zack"

Afetr they shook hands, Zack seemed to unfreeze, walking down the stairs and into his lab quickly.

"Well that doesn't happen everyday" Cam commented.

"Uh yeah" Angela followed.

"What?" Rachel asked, looking around.

"Have I offended him?"

At that, Hodgins started laughing.

"Zack is a quiet genius, and when it comes to girls, he gets nervous" Hodgins said loudly between laughing fits.

"Do not!" Zack yelled, poking his head out of his office.

Rachel blushed, and turned back to the body on the table.

"It's okay sweetie" Angela said.

"We're just poking fun at you and Zack, that's what we do"

If possible, Rachel blushed even more.

At that moment, Zack came out of his office, creeping up to where the rest of them were assembled.

"Cause of death" Cam said, right as Zack opened his mouth.

"Seems to be the crack along the side of the skull, would have been deep enough to puncture the brain, instant death"

"Want to bet?" Cam said.

"No, I prefer not to"

"Did you look at the ribs?"

"Yes"

"Then you would know that the stab wound there was made before the victim was bashed in the head"

"Bu-"

Cam interrupted.

"I win, now do whatever Angela tells you"

Zack groaned.

"Yes your majesty?" He said, flinching as Angela smiled.

"I'm going to wait for a while to unleash my revenge, you are free for today"

Zack gave a visible sigh of relief and trudged off to his office, followed by Hodgins.

"What exactly do you have in mind?" Cam asked Angela.

"I'm going to wait until they know each other better" Angela replied, giving a pointed look at Rachel, who was oblivious to their conversation.

"Are you going to wait for Brennan?"

"Booth too"

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	3. Poison

A few months went by, and Rachel fit in perfectly with the team, solving many murders and showing an aptitude for forensics.

"You know, Christmas is in a week you guys" Angela said.

"I know, i'm excited" Rachel said.

The team was sitting up on the dais after solving a case, and were kicking back with cups of cocoa.

Hodgins spun around on his chair.

"You know, this is my perfect opportunity for revenge" Angela said, putting down her mug.

"I was afraid you would say that" Zack said from his spot on the couch.

"Alright, are you ready?"

"No"

"Too bad"

"What is this Angela?" Booth asked.

"A wager that Cam won over Zack, and I got to choose the punishment"

Booth smirked.

"Ok Zack, your punishment is that you have to kiss Rachel"

Zack looked like he was going to faint.

Rachel stood up, and Zack followed her reluctantly.

Zack looked like he was going to be sick, but then swallowed adn the color returned to his face.

he leaned forwards, meaning to kiss her cheek.

"Ah ah ah!" Angela said.

"On the lips"

Zack swallowed again, and gently took her face in his ands, pressing his lips to hers.

After a few seconds, they broke apart, wiping their lips on their sleeves.

Angela sat with her mouth open, Brennan was smiling, and Booth was smirking.

Hodgins wolf-whistled.

"I never knew he had it in him" Cam said.

"Why does everyone always say that?" Zack asked.

"Because dude, you never show any muscle!" Hodgins said, coming over and giving Zack a fist bump.

"On the contrary, I do actually have a muscle mass, therefore making me a bit stronger than I look"

Hodgins laughed.

"Whatever"

Rachel sat down, and was playfuly punched by Angela.

"Way to go Tiger"

Rachel blushed even harder.

"Well, I propose a toast" Angela said, raising her mug.

"To friends"

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	4. The Hospital

The next morning, they had a corpse.

It was a male, found in a river.

Everyone took one look at the body, and said 'gross'.

Except for Rachel, that is.

The ugliness of the crime didn't faze her, and she went on with her work.

Zack came in for the day, took one look at the corpse, turned green, and fled.

And that was not easy to do.

The corpse, having been dismembered, burned, crushed, and all other things nasty, was stinking up the lab.

"Oh that is nasty" Cam said, tying a handkerchief around her mouth and nose.

"Gross" She said when she looked for the second time.

Then, she looked at Rachel, who was patiently scraping away some of the flesh for analysis.

"How the hell can you survive the stench in here?"

"You get used to it"

Cam nodded, then continued with her own work.

Rachel pulled out the portable x-ray machine and scanned the head.

"I was right, there was something in it"

The X-ray showed a small orb, lodged in the center of the brain, or what was left of it.

"Alright, i'll let you chop the head off and take it for recovery"

Rachel picked up the head, which was no longer attached to the body.

"Right" Cam said, obviously having thought that it was still stuck to the spine.

Rachel smiled triumphantly and gracefully walked off to the coroner's room, carrying the head.

"Where that girl gets her guts, I have no idea"

----

Rachel set the head on the table and put on protective goggles.

She picked up the scapel saw, then head a knock on the door.

"Need help?" Zack asked through the glass.

Rachel nodded.

Zack came in, and put on some goggles.

"Good morning"

Rachel smiled.

"Nothing like a corpse to wake you up in the morning"

Zack nodded, looking slightly green again.

"Anyways, i'm going to cut right below the hairline, there's something stuck in what's left of the brain"

She started to saw, and it quickly went through.

Then, a large cloud of powder flew out of the skull, hitting Rachel right in the face.

She fell backwards, choking and gasping.

"Rachel!" Zack yelled, droppping his tray of utensils and catching her before she could hit the floor.

Her eyes rolled back into her head, and she started convulsing, foam dribbling out of her mouth.

"Somebody help!" Zack yelled again, setting Rachel down so that he could open the door.

"Help!"

--------------

When Rachel woke up, she could hear the beeps of machines.

Where was she?

She could hear someone's breathing, an the murmur of voices outside the door.

She opened her eyes, and blinked. Everything was so bright.

Then, as her eyes adjusted, she could see Zack's sleeping form in a chair by her bed, his hand resting on the sheets.

Then, she felt a tightness in her chest.

She took deep breath, and the tightness went away.

Zack's hand shifted on the bed, and she froze.

He looked like he hadn't been getting much sleep, judging by the rings underneath his eyes.

Rachel leaned back, closing her eyes.

That tightness was back again.

She took another deep breath, and it dissapated, only to come back a few moments later.

Something was wrong.

------

Zack woke up, and blinked to clear his eyes.

He was sitting in a chair.

In Rachel's hospital room.

The bed was empty, the monitors gone, and the blankets folded neatly.

Where was she?

Had she died?

No.

She couldn't have died.

Booth would have woken him up.

Still...

Zack stood up and forced his tired legs to move, trying to find someone he knew.

A nurse passed by, and he asked her the whereabouts of RAchel, but she just shook her head.

Zack continued down the hallway, his worry rising.

He meandered around the hospital for about an hour, then he finally found Dr. Brennan, sitting in lobby.

"There you are Zack" She said tiredly.

"You guys left me"

"Sorry"

"Where's Rachel"

Brennan put down her cup of coffee, then thought better of it and gave it to Zack, who looked like he was on the verge of having a mental breakdown.

"She had to go into surgery"

Zack's eyes widened.

"Why?"

"She couldn't breathe, and they couldn't put her on a ventilator"

Zack put his face in his hands.

"It was my fault"

Brennan touched his shoulder gently.

"I should have told her to put a mask on"

Then, a doctor waked in.

"Dr. Brennan?"

She stood up.

"She's out of surgery, it was a success"

Brennan and Zack both smiled.

"When can we see her?"

The doctor gestured for them to follow him.

The two scientists were led into a small recovery room, where Rachel was sleeping.

Zack let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding.

"We cleaned the fluid out of her lungs and re-dosed her with the antidote, she's expected to make a full recovery"

Zack grinned, then flopped down in one of the chairs.

"Go ahead and sleep Zack, you look like you could use it" Brennan said, taking her coffee cup away from him.

Zack nodded, then promptly fell asleep.

Brennan looked over at Zack, and gently brushed some of his curly hair out of his face.

Then, she stood up and left.

Zack should be there when Rachel woke up.

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	5. The Bone

Zack woke to see Rachel's blue eyes staring at him.

Quickly, he slid off his chair and grasped her hand.

"You're okay"

She nodded.

"I don't think that was an accident Zack, I think whoever this killer is, they were trying to pick one of us off"

Zack nodded, processing this.

"Maybe they were trying to get Dr. Brennan"

Rachel nodded again.

"Speaking of, where is she?"

"I don't know, she said she would stay here, but obviously she had to leave"

"Hey Zack?"

"Yes"

"Thanks"

-------------------

Within a few days, Rachel was back at the lab.

And the lab had problems.

Or rather, problems seemed to be happening.

Everyone was happy to have Rachel back, exchanging hugs, but then the work began.

Around lunch, the team was even more baffled than usual.

"I don't get it" Angela said, holding up her sketch.

They were in Brennan's office, each trying to figure their little pice out over forgotten burritos.

The picture was of a grotesque man, eyes placed oddly and nose askew.

Dr. Brennan rubbed her forehead.

"How the heck did he get like that?" Rachel asked, coming in from the lab.

"Chernobyl?" Booth threw in from his place by the door.

Cam laughed half-heartedly, staring off into space.

Then, a security guard came in.

"Package for you, Dr. Brennan"

"I'm scared" Cam said, eyeing the box with distaste.

"You know, I found a particulate on the-" Zack tripped on the box, falling onto his face.

Rachel cracked up, trying to turn it into a coughing fit and ended up choking.

Hodgin's slapped her on the back as he came in.

"You know, I found a particulate on one of the bones-"

"I already said that" Zack said from his spread-eagled position on the floor.

"Dude, how did you end up there?"

"I tripped on that box that no one wants to open"

Hodgins looked at the box, then turned around.

"Can I open it?"

"After what came in the last box, I don't think any of us should open it" Cam said.

"I think if we wear masks and gloves, we should be fine" Rachel said, recovering from her coughing fit.

"Alright" Brennan said.

Hodgins picked up the box, and carried it up the steps and to a table.

"Masks on" Everyone took a mask and fitted it on their faces.

Hodgins took a knife and slit the tape on the top, then pulled it open.

Inside, were a bunch of toys.

"And I thought Christmas came only once a year" Hodgins said, pulling his mask off.

He took the toys out and piled them on the counter.

Then, his hand hit something hard,and he pulled out a femur.

"This isn't a Christmas present I want"

"Everyone get back" Rachel said.

"The bone's infected!"

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	6. Of Entrapment and Wet Towel Wars

"Everyone get back! The bone's infected!"

Hodgins dropped the bone as quickly as he could and backed up quickly.

"How can you tell?"

"See the marks on the side? it's been injected by a viru-"

Rachel started coughing violently.

Cam grabbed the phone nearest to her.

"We have a breach of Biohazard, There has been a leak of virus K0221, We need inoculations up here"

Rachel coughed harder.

"Hurry"

Then, the biohazard team was there, pulling out a case of needles filled with some sort of serum.

Quickly, they were all injected with the inoculation and soon, Rachel's coughing stopped.

"That was a close one" Booth said.

"Due to the nature of virus K0221, you must stay within these sealed premises for 12 days" The biohazard leader said.

"What?" Angela said.

"Anything you require will be brought"

Then, he was gone.

"Well great" Hodgins said.

"Stuck in here until January 2nd"

"But that means no Christmas" Sweets said.

"Exactly"

That night, the girls slept up on the dais, and the boys slept down on the main floor.

The next morning, everyone flocked to the showers, luckily there was enough room.

"I hate showering with other guys" Sweets said as he stepped out.

A wet towel flew out the door, landing on his head.

Rachel giggled.

"Ahhhh! The towel monster's gonna get me too!" Hodgins said as he ran out of the room, mocking Sweets.

Then, a perfectly aimed towel, thrown by Booth hit him smack in the face.

"Nooo! It's got me!" Hodgins said, slowly falling onto the floor.

"Haha! Sucker!" Booth yelled.

Zack edged around Booth, who was currently blocking to door.

"Hey where do you think you're going?" Booth said, grabbing Zack by the back of his shirt.

"Nowhere" Zack squeaked.

Booth plopped a towel on Zack's head and pushed him out the door.

He laughed as Zack tripped and fell on the floor, groaning in pain.

"All in good fun, buddy" Hodgins said, helping Zack off the floor.

Booth laughed again.

"Suckers!"

Then, a towel landed smack in his face.

"Nice throw" Angela said, giving Brennan a high five.

By this time, Rachel had laughed so hard, she had fallen off her chair and onto the floor.


	7. Truth or Dare Jenga

"Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the lab, not a bone fragment was stirring, not a-"

"Hodgins, just shut up"

"Fine, fine"

The gang was clustered around the coffee table, drinking cocoa once again.

"Okay, I propose we play Jenga" Angela said, setting down her mug and going to her office.

She came back a few minutes later, holding the box.

"Isn't Jenga a kid's game?" Booth asked.

"Not the way I play it" Angela said, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

She took out the stack of blocks.

"So, every block has a truth or a dare on it. you have to answer it, no matter what"

"What happens when it falls over?" Brennan asked.

"The person who loses has to take someone and kiss them under the mistletoe"

"I'm in" Hodgins said, looking at Angela and smirking.

"Okay, you go first"

He pulled a block from the middle that had a D on it.

_"Show what color your underwear is"_

"What kind of dare is that?"

"You have to do it" Angela replied

He stood, rolling his eyes and yanked up the corner of his boxers.

"I'll admit it, blue with rocket ships"

Sweets snickered.

"Okay, since Sweets laughed, he goes next"

Sweets smirked and pulled a Truth block out.

"_Have you ever owned a Barbie"_

He flushed slightly.

"Yes, sad to say, I have"

Rachel couldn't help it, she started giggling uncontrollably.

"Rachel next"

She picked another Truth out from the stack.

_"What cup size is your bra"_

She blushed.

"B38"

Angela almost spit out her hot cocoa.

"Seriously!?"

Rachel nodded, blushing harder.

"Honey, you have to stop wearing those sports bras if you have B38 cleavage"

Rachel looked like she wanted to dive under the couch and not come back.

They went on, getting around almost twice before the tower toppled over on Rachel's second turn.

"Rachel! you have to go first and kiss someone under the mistletoe!" Angela said, grinning wickedly.

Rachel flushed so red, she made a Tomato look like it was pale.

"I-I can't"

Angela pulled her up from the couch and dragged her to where the mistletoe was hanging, ignoring her protests.

"Okay, if you're not going to pick someone, I will"

Rachel didn't say anything.

"Sweets, get your butt over here"

Sweets really did spit out his cocoa at that.

"W-what?"

"You heard me, get over here"

"I'd rather not"

"Get your butt over here, or i'm going to drag you, and i'm stronger than I look"

"Fine"

Sweets got up from the couch and went over to where Rachel looked like she would like to just sink into the ground at any moment.

He quickly grabbed her face and pecked her on the lips, getting it done quickly.

At this point, Rachel looked like she was either going to be sick, pass out, or start crying.

Sweets patted her on the arm, and went to sit down.

There was all of a sudden a really awkward silence, everyone was looking at Rachel.

"You okay honey?" Angela asked.

Rachel didn't answer, she ran down the steps and down the hall without a word.

"I didn't think that would upset her that much" Angela said.

"She probably didn't want to be forced, she'll be fine" Brennan said, laying a hand on Angela's.

"I hope you're right"

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	8. Past Christmases

Rachel walked quickly down the hall, tears rolling down her face.

Why was she crying?

Sweets wasn't that bad, he was even a good kisser.

Maybe it was hormones.

She sat on a bench and wiped her eyes.

All she wanted was to be out of here, going home and spending time with her family.

She gently rubbed her abdomen, remembering the past.

Last year...

Wow.

That was a while ago.

Last year she had been depressed, avoiding her family at Christmas.

It was still to painful to talk about.

Rachel heard footsteps coming down the hall, but ignored them.

Then, she felt a weight on the bench next to her.

She looked up and saw Zack, Dr. Brennan's assistant, holding two mugs of tea.

"Hey" She said, wiping her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Zack asked, handing her one of the mugs.

"Yeah" Rachel said, taking it.

"I must agree, that was mean" Zack said, taking a sip of his own mug.

"Yeah" Rachel said, staring at the floor in front of her, mug still clutched in her hands.

Zack set his mug on the ground, then stretched upwards with a yawn.

Rachel dared to take a sip of her tea, but scalded her tongue on it and dropped the mug, breaking it on the hard floor.

Zack quickly produced a towel put of his pocket, then joined Rachel on the floor where she was picking up the mug shards.

He wiped up the tea, then looked up to see Rachel crying again.

"Hey Rachel, it's just a mug"

She nodded, but the tears still dripped down her pretty face.

Zack helped her back up to the bench, one arm around her shoulders and the other holing her hand.

She cried into his chest for a couple minutes, then pulled away quickly.

"There's something else bothering you, isn't there"

Rachel nodded.

"M-my, uh... My fiancee died around this time last year"

"I'm sorry" Zack said, brushing some hair away from her face.

Rachel stood up.

"I shouldn't bother you with my problems"

Zack grabbed her wrist, forcing her to look back at him.

"That wasn't all" he said, studying her.

Her face creased in a desperate, painful expression, then she whispered:

"I was pregnant"

Then she yanked her arm out of his grasp and walked quickly down the hall, leaving a stunned Zack behind her.

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	9. Bedtime

Rachel took deep breaths as she walked back the way she came, heading back to the rest of the gang on the dais.

She sat on the couch, watching them play another round of Jenga.

"Hey sweetie" Angela said, patting her arm.

"Sorry about the dare"

Rachel shook her head.

"It's nothing Ange"

Zack came back in after a few more minutes, sitting on a chair and watching Rachel carefully.

Hodgins lost the round and kissed Angela passionately under the mistletoe.

Then Cam stood.

"I think now, we should go to bed"

Everyone nodded, yawning.

"Anyone who wants to have passionate sex, there's always the janitor's closet" Cam said over her shoulder.

Angela and Hoodgins looked at each other suggestively.

Everyone started trooping to the Bathroom with their toothbrushes and pajamas.

"Race you to the bathroom" Hodgins said to Zack, and they took off.

Hodgins fell behind surprisingly quickly, but then leaped forwards and pushed Zack into the wall at the turn.

Zack hit the wall, then fell backwards, landing spread-eagled.

Again.

He groaned as Brennan helped him up.

"Why does this always happen?"

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	10. Christmas Morning Surprises

"Ten seconds 'til eight" Hodgins said, watching the clock on the wall.

"Why do I get the feeling we're going to be in trouble?" Zack asked, holding the horn.

"We probably are" Said Sweets.

"Five seconds"

"Is he actually going to do this?"

Hodgins grabbed the horn and blew it.

From across the lab, they could hear shocked yells.

"Bingo" Hodgins said, throwing the horn to Zack, who dropped it, causing the liquid inside to splatter all over his bare feet.

"Cold" he gasped, tiptoeing away.

-----

"Good morning ladies, rise and shine, Santa was here!" Hodgins said, shaking Angela.

"Mmph" She said, smacking his hand away.

"Come. On. No one wants to open presents?" Hodgins said, crossing his arms.

"Fine" Rachel said, emerging from her sleeping bag in a sleepy state and heading to the bathroom.

"Come on Ange, I know you want to see what I got you"

"As long as it's-" SHe got cut off by a large yawn.

Hodgins took advantage of the situation and stuffed a piece of cinnamon roll in her mouth.

"Mmmph!!"

He nudged Brennan's sleeping bag with a toe.

"No Brennan, did that mean that she took advantage of the Janitor's closet?"

"She's already awake" Rachel said, already back from the bathroom and changed.

"Well you look nice" Hodgins replied, offering his arm.

"Oh no you don't" Angela said, coming out of her sleeping bag and heading for the showers.

Hodgins winked.

"You know I did that so you would get up" Hodgins yelled.

"Yeah" Angela replied, not looking back.

Hodgins noticed the slightly disappointed look on Rachel's face and offered his arm again.

"You do look really nice"

Rachel flushed slightly, but took his arm, following him up to the dais.

Brennan, Booth, Sweets and Zack were already there, Zack massaging his feet.

"Do you know how cold that liquid is inside that canister you threw me is?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah, you'll live" Hodgins replied, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

Angela and Cam came up, their eyes widening when they saw the contents of the table.

"How did you get all these?" Angela asked, her jaw dropping.

"I pulled some strings, and some guys dropped 'em off last night" Booth said, puffing up with pride.

"Let's go oldest to youngest" Cam said, picking a present off the pile.

It went Cam, Booth, Brennan, Hodgins, Angela, Sweets, Zack, Rachel.

At last, it was her turn, and Rachel looked down at the small pile of presents in front of her.

"Go ahead" Angela said, holding up her phone to take a picture.

Rachel read the tag of the first one; a larger package from Brennan.

Inside was a copy of her newest book.

"Dr. Brennan, wow. This hasn't even been released yet!"

Rachel hugged Brennan, then set the book aside, her eyes glowing.

From Cam, she got a blue sweater and an Itunes gift card. From Booth; a Star Trek coffee mug, From Angela; Art supplies, From Sweets; a gift card to a book store,

And from Hodgins; A cool T-shirt and another gift card.

"Hey honey, don't you have any presents from family?" Angela said, searching through the wrapping paper in case it fell onto the floor.

"My parents died when I was seven" Rachel said, looking down at her lap.

"Oh sweetie, i'm sorry" Angela said, the guilt visible on her face.

"It's fine" Rachel replied, not looking at her.

"Well, I have an announcement" Brennan said.

"I am going to have a baby"

Everyone's jaw dropped.

"You mean you're pregnant, or your want one?" Angela said, breaking the silence.

"I'm pregnant, I went through the sperm donations last week, and now it's official"

Everyone stared.

Then Rachel stood up quickly, walking down the hall.

Everyone watched her go, then looked back at Brennan.

"I'll go talk to her" Zack said, a panicked look on her face.

They watched him go.

"There is something that i'm missing" Cam said.

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	11. The Truth

Rachel sat in the same place she had before; the familiar bench, located in a secluded hallway.

Her breathing accelerated and she put her head between her knees, overwhelmed by the emotions she was feeling.

Brennan was pregnant?

It reminded her of too many things.

Too many accidents, too many fights.

She slid off the side of the bench and leaned against the wall, grabbing her head like a madwoman.

A rushing sound was building up in her ears, and she looked down to see her right hand stained with blood, clutching the blade of a knife.

She couldn't even feel the pain.

The noise was building up into a cacophony of sounds, whirling and whirling until she felt like she would snap.

Then it was silent, and all she could hear was the dripping of her blood falling onto the floor.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Soon she would be swallowed up, drowned in the river of blood.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Slowly she dozed off...

"Rachel!"

Zack's voice woke her up immediately, her eyes staring at him widely.

She looked at her right hand, and saw it was fine, just bruised where she hit it on something.

Amazing.

She thought it was actually a knife.

"Are you alright?" Zack asked. He sounded panicked.

"I'm fine, I just fell asleep"

He sat sat down next to her, obviously he had been worried about her committing suicide.

"I wouldn't do it you know" She said after a few moments.

"I wouldn't kill myself"

Zack looked at her, his mouth slightly open in a indescribable expression.

When Zack didn't saw anything, she looked down at her lap, studying her hands.

She felt a bit cold, the light blue blouse she had on didn't offer much warmth.

As if reading her mind, Zack took off his lab coat and put it around her shoulders, leaving him in just a T-shirt and flannel pants.

"Will you tell me what happened last christmas?" he asked, looking away from her.

She shook her head.

"I'm sorry Zack, but not on Christmas, it's too soon"

He nodded, then helped her up, leading her back to the group.

Everyone was still grouped there, but the atmosphere was different.

Everyone was standing, except Brennan and Cam.

"We have come to the conclusion that you are pregnant as well, Rachel" Brennan said.

"Way for subtle Bones" Booth groaned.

Rachel froze, then her face took on a pained expression.

Zack was shaking his head frantically.

"That is the only logical explanation that would explain your behavior"

Rachel's expression changed, it was one almost of pain and anger, but mixed into a mask that showed she didn't want to appear weak.

"Actually Dr. Brennan, I was pregnant last year around Christmas, but I lost my daughter in a car crash that also took the life of my fiancee, now if you would excuse me"

She went down the steps on the other side, going down to the area where they kept the corpses.

"Wow" Angela said.

"Wow is right" Cam agreed, watching Rachel start to look at the skeleton.

"Did anyone else know about this?" Brennan asked, looking around.

"I knew she was pregnant" Zack said, stepping forwards.

"Wow" Angela said again, standing up and going to her office.

Zack walked past Sweets, who looked like all the women's drama was getting to him, and went down to help Rachel.

"That explains a lot" Booth said, sitting on the couch with a preoccupied expression.

"Yeah" Brennan agreed.


	12. Kidnapped

Later that day, the Biohazard crew cleared them to leave.

Rachel stood by the table with the skeleton on it, trying to figure out what happened, the same thing she had been doing since that morning.

It was about 9:00 when everyone startled to leave, Rachel still pondering the bones.

Everyone else was gone except for her a Zack, who had diligently stayed behind to help her with some scum on the victim's clothes.

"I'm heading out, the test will be done in the morning" Zack said, pulling on his coat.

Rachel groaned and hit her tired head on the table.

"You want a ride home?" Zack asked, watching her.

"Nah, i'm going to pack up right now" Rachel replied, standing ip and not meeting his gaze.

"Okay, see you in the morning" Zack said as he headed off towards the parking garage.

He was almost to the door to the garage when a piercing scream came from the lab.

"Rachel" Zack whispered, dropping what he was carrying and running as fast as he could back to the lab.

When he got there, he saw Rachel being held by a man in a mask. He had a elbow around her neck and was holding a knife to her ribs.

"Move another step and the girl dies!" The man yelled.

Zack froze.

"Z-Zack" Rachel choked out.

Zack looked at her and carefully took a step forwards, then froze as the man dug the knife into Rachel's side, causing her to gasp in pain.

The masked man grinned wickedly.

Then, something hit Zack from behind, knocking him out.

"Zack!" Rachel screamed as she saw him crumple to the floor.

She stuggled, kicking her legs as the man started to haul her to the door.

Then, one of her flying legs hit him in the knee and she tripped him, the man falling forwards, pinning her to the ground under him and causing the knife to stab into her stomach.

She felt the man get off her, but her eyes were hazing over in pain, her hand on the knife handle.

Quickly, she tried to make her agonized brain work. The knife was approximately three inches long, and hit right about where her intestines were.

She tried to relax, knowing that flexing her muscles would make it worse.

She looked over and saw Zack's unconscious face next to hers. She gently touched his face with her bloodstained hand, then passed out.

The last thing she heard was that man talking.

"Put 'em in the car"

-------------

Rachel woke up in darkness.

The next thing she knew was blinding pain in her right side.

She reached down and felt the handle of the knife still in her abodomen.

The tears started to slip down her cheeks as she felt around and found that she was in her car.

Underground.

Then, she heard a groan coming from the backseat.

"Zack?" She whispered.

"Rachel" He leaned forwards, touching her face.

"Are you okay?" Rachel shook her head, then turned on the dim cab light.

Zack's eyes widened when he saw the handle sticking out of her stomach.

"We have to do something" He said, reaching forwards into the passenger seat and fumbling around with the objects there.

"Zack" She said, more tears beginning to fall.

Something in her tone caused Zack's head to snap up and look at her worriedly.

"The Grave Digger got us. We're going to die here"

It was impossible to read Zack's expression, so Rachel kept going to reassure him.

"If I take out this blade, i'll bleed to death, then you'll have more oxygen"

Zack's sudden movement surprised her.

He grabbed her face, totally out of character for him.

"You are not going to die" He said, then pressed his soft lips against hers.

"I'll perform surgery, there's thread and a needle here" He continued, pulling away.

"Okay" Rachel whispered, then pushed her lips against his again.

* * *

Please Review!!!!


	13. Race Against Time

Rachel sat in the Driver's seat while Zack climbed into the passenger, going through the small pile of tools that the Grave Digger had left them.

"Bottle of hydrogen peroxide, needle, medical thread, bandage, two cellphones with no battery, One copy of Dr. Brennan's book, two bottles of water, a pocket knife, and three pens"

Rachel closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. The pain in her side was excruciating.

Zack paused his flipping through the pages of the book and watched Rachel concernedly. He reached over and touched her hand.

"We'll be okay"

Rachel nodded, biting her lip.

"Twelve hours of air?"

Zack did the math.

"Actually, thirteen"

Rachel groaned again, starting to sweat.

Zack touched her forehead.

"We'd better get that knife out, you're starting to get a fever"

He took the peroxide and needle, the took off his jacket.

"I'm going to pull it out, then put my jacket on it. Then peroxide and stitching. I can imagine you will be in a lot of pain"

Rachel gritted her teeth, but nodded.

Carefully, he took the pocket knife and cut away Rachel's shirt near the knife.

Then, looking into her blue eyes, he waited for her signal.

After a couple seconds, Rachel nodded, eyes closed.

In one swift motion, Zack pulled the knife out, causing Rachel to scream in pain. He covered the wound with his jacket.

Quickly, he unscrewed the bottle of peroxide and took away his jacket, dumping the contents of the small bottle.

Rachel screamed again and started to shake.

Zack held her down and drew the needle through, stitching up the gash quickly and efficiently.

"That should hold until we get out" He said, brushing her cheeks with a bloody hand.

"Zack" She said hoarsely.

"Look in the crack between the seats"

Zack did, and found a cell phone.

"How did you hide it?" He said, starting to laugh in amazement.

"I always keep one in here, in case of emergency"

Zack rolled down the window, causing a wave of dirt to flood in. He took some, tasting it, then washing it with water.

He just stared at the dirt for a minute, then looked at Rachel in amazement.

Rachel was leaning against the door, eyes closed.

"Rachel?" He said, touching her shoulder.

She opened her pain-filled eyes a little.

"I know where we are"

* * *

Booth paced anxiously around the lab, glaring at everyone darkly.

"It's been eight hours, we need to find where they are"

Then, the phone rang.

"Brennan" Bones answered.

Her face froze, then she started smiling.

"It's them!" She yelled.

"Where are they?" Booth asked, waving his arms around.

"Seaside Quarry, under the water barrel"

Brennan hung up quickly and followed Booth out the door.

An hour later, they were under the water barrel, looking up at the monstrous fixture.

"Get digging" Booth said to the man with the backhoe.

For th enext hour, they turned up nothing.

Then, there was a strike of metal against metal.

----

Rachel climbed into the back, groaning softly and settling into Zack's arms.

"What if they don't get here in time?" she whispered.

"They will" Zack replied, putting his amrs around her waist.

They sat in silence, taking turns dozing off.

Hours passed.

Zack just stared into the darkness, then out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tear slide down Rachel's cheek.

"They'll be here, don't worry" He said, stroking her hair.

"It's not that, Zack" Rachel whispered.

"I'm bleeding again"

Zack felt a weight drop into his stomach.

It was now a race against time.

* * *

Cliffie!!!! Will Bones and Booth find them? Or will Rachel die before they can get there??

PLEASE REVIEW!!! :)


	14. Birthday

The minutes ticked by, Zack listened to Rachel's breathing get slower and slower.

Then, a grating metal-on-metal sound came from the top of the car, and a large dent appeared.

Something was cutting through the top, shearing off the roof of the car.

Then, the top was off, and bright sunlight was streaming in. Zack blinked against the blinding light, then his eyes adjusted and he could see the medics carefully climbing down the hole to them.

He picked Rachel up and started climbing out of the car. People helped him up, and he collapsed gratefully on the ground.

Then, he was was being poked and prodded by the Medical team.

He protested that he was fine, then allowed them to take Rachel away and load her into an ambulance.

Then the team was there, hugging him and talking.

It was all a rush, and at about some time, he passed out from exhaustion and adrenaline.

When Zack woke up, he was in the Hospital, laying in a bed. Booth was sitting there, reading a book.

"Hey Zack" Booth said.

" Gte dressed, the doctors say you're good to go" Booth continued, throwing Zack a shirt and some pants.

Zack dressed, then followed Booth out of the building.

"I'm supposed to take you back to the lab" Booth said, unlocking the car.

"What about Rachel?" Zack asked, confused.

Booth didn't answer, but got in, revving the engine.

Zack made to get into his normal backseat spot, but Booth looked back at him.

"Hey Buddy, just you and me today, you get to ride shotgun"

Zack thoguth that was sort-of weird, but got in front anyways.

It was only a couple minute drive to the Jeffersonian, and soon Zack was walking through the doors, Booth right behind him.

Booth took over the lead, and Zack found himself following him to the familiar dais.

It was too quiet.

Much too quiet.

Zack climbed the stairs and swiped his security card.

At first, it was completely quiet.

Then,

"SURPRISE!"

Zack jumped about a foot in the air.

Everyone came out from behind the furniture and threw confetti.

Zack was amazed, he had completely forgotten about his birthday, he certainly had enough on his mind.

Booth clapped him on the back, followed by others.

Then, Cam and Angela brought a large cake out.

Zack's eyes widened considerably.

They put it on one of the tables, and Zack went forward, blowing out the candles.

More hugs followed, but Zack was lost in thought.

He was searching the crowd around him for a particular face.

It quieted down as his friends watched him.

"Where's Rachel?" He asked.

It was dead silent, and a seed of fear started growing in his stomach.

Then, the little crowd parted.

Rachel stood there, smiling.

Zack didn't know what took over him, but he walked quickly to her and hugged her tightly.

Then, it was as if his body was working on it's own.

He pulled away from the hug a little and looked into her eyes, then kissed her full on the lips.

It was dead silent...

Then the wolf whistles started.

Booth led them, and Bones started clapping.

Rachel pulled away.

"Happy 22nd Zack"

PLease Review! I know it's short.


	15. Subway Victim

Rachel sat with Dr. Brennan, Booth, and the agent from the Japanese magazine, sipping coffee when the Restaurant started shaking violently.

"What's happening?" She yelled over the noise of glass breaking.

"Earthquake!" Brennan yelled back.

Then, as soon as it came, it stopped.

"That was weird" Booth said, looking around the Cafe anxiously.

Then, all three of their cell phones rang, causing the Magazine Agent to look up suspiciously.

"They found a body in a burst water main across town" Brennan said, standing up.

"Well that's the call for duty" Booth said, striding across the cafe and opening the door for the two women.

Rachel's phone rang again as the walked out, the agent following them.

"Oh my god" She said, stopping suddenly.

"What?" Booth asked as he turned back.

"Sweets was down there. He just saw a boy die" She looked at him uncertainly.

"That's not good" Booth said, turning back to the car and getting in.

"Not good at all"

When they got down to the Sewer main an hour later, it was a wreck. The train was jackknifed against a cement post, and they were loading a body into a bag.

"Sweets" Rachel said, running over to his frozen form.

Just by looking at him, you could tell that the normally cool and composed shrink was upset, his face was flushed slightly, and his eyes were misted.

Rachel touched his arm and looked directly into his eyes.

"Are you okay?"

He shook his head, and she took that as a cue to help him sit down on a bench.

"H-he was there, talking to me. He had just found out that he was cancer-free after eight years. Then he was gone. just like that"

Rachel gently rubbed his back, unsure of what else to do.

"I'm so sorry Sweets, I know what you feel. I have to go examine the skeleton, then i'll give you ride home"

He shook his head.

"I'll get a ride with booth, you probably have to work"

Rachel was taken aback, but didn't argue.

She walked quickly over to where Brennan, Booth, and the Magazine Agent were.

"Victim's male, been dead approximately a week" Brennan said, looking carefully at the skeleton.

"Those look like rat bites" The agent said, writing furiously in her small pink journal.

"They could be"

"Like in you first book, where Ms. Reichs finds a victim eaten by rats"

Brennan furrowed her eyebrows at the young woman.

"The victim in my book was eaten by weasels. Different genus, but similar bite patterns"

The Agent scribbled furiously again.

"Get these remains back to the Jeffersonian for analysis" Brennan called over her should to the workers, ending the conversation.

"Are you alright Rachel?" Booth asked, looking over Brennan to her.

Rachel shrugged, frowning.

"I don't think Sweets is okay"

Booth leaned over to look at Sweets, who was still sitting on the bench, his face in his hands.

"I don't mean to be rude, but he did see a kid die, that would probably throw his orbit out of whack big time"

Brennan looked at him confusedly.

"And more so, he feels responsible, further flinging him into the stratosphere"

"Since when have you become a psycologist that uses incorrect metaphors?" Brennan said, straightening up.

"It's just a figure of speech, Bones"

"An incorrect one, seeing as a human does not orbit"

Booth put his hands on his hips, agitated.

"It's just a figure of speech, ok? I'm leaving"

Brennan followed him.

"And, due to the lack of oxygen, a human couldn't survive in the stratosphere, their lungs would implode"

"Yeah yeah yeah. Sweets, let's go"

Almost mechanically, Sweets followed him.

Rachel and the Agent brought up the rear, the Agent still scribbling down the details of Booth and Bones' argument.


End file.
